JP2005092057A - Keyboard device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To approach all of keying-touch feeling and generation timing of a sound, etc., of an electronic keyboard instrument to those of an acoustic piano. <P>SOLUTION: This keyboard device is made to have structure with which the keying-touch feeling of the acoustic piano can be obtained in small space by housing a hammer driving mechanism having the roughly the same structure as that of the hammer driving mechanism of the acoustic piano at the lower space of each key and also the keyboard device is equipped with an analog type key position detecting sensor which detects depressed positions of the key continuously and a string hammering sensor which detects a virtual string hammering position of a hammer and the keyboard device is made to be able to express the expression of a sound similarly in the acoustic piano by a key operation by controlling the generation of the sound with the detection timing of the string hammering sensor and by calculating the depression speed of the key with detection signals of the key position detecting sensor to control the volume of the sound and by controlling the attenuation characteristics to the stopping of the sound with key position detection signals. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a keyboard device for an electronic keyboard instrument, and in particular, can provide a touch that is small in shape and that is almost as close to that of an acoustic piano as a finger when playing, and further includes sound generation timing and stop timing, It is an object of the present invention to provide a keyboard device that can control sound attenuation and the like by operating keys.

  Electronic keyboard instruments generally act as a keyboard that turns on and off an electrical switch, so it is far from the key touch (feel given to a finger when a key is pressed) of an acoustic piano (piano that strikes a string with a hammer). It was a touch. However, with an electronic keyboard instrument that simulates a piano sound like an electronic piano, the key touch tends to require an acoustic piano feel. For this reason, various attempts have been made to make the key touch at the time of keystroke similar to that of an acoustic piano.

  For example, a plurality of keys arranged in parallel for each pitch and a lever device in which a plurality of levers corresponding to the keys are operated in the middle of a key pressing stroke are provided. There has been proposed a keyboard device for an electronic musical instrument in which the operating force characteristics are configured such that the operating force decreases as the lever stroke increases (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition to this, the keyboard device of the electronic musical instrument is provided with a key that can swing up and down with respect to the keyboard frame, and that is provided with a hammer that is rotated under an operating force when the key is pressed and returns when the pressing operation is released. Has proposed a keyboard device for an electronic musical instrument in which a contact point between a key and a hammer during a key pressing operation is provided on a plane including a diameter connecting the rotation center of the key and the rotation center of the hammer (for example, Patent Document 2).

Furthermore, there has been proposed an operation state detecting device for a performance operator that detects a key pressing speed and a key pressing pressure by using one analog sensor, and performs sound weakness control and aftertouch control (Patent Document 3).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-7267 Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-7572 JP 2000-221980 A

The keyboard device proposed in Patent Document 1 has only a seesaw-structured key and a lever for applying a load to this key, and since there is no hammer, it feels like a spring like an acoustic piano jumps up. I can't.
In other words, in an acoustic piano, if the key is pressed at a certain initial speed or higher, the hammer will spring up, so that a let-off feeling is not felt during normal performance, but a let-off is obtained when the key is slowly depressed. However, the structure proposed in Patent Document 1 has a different feel from an acoustic piano because the lever load is always applied to the key regardless of the keying speed.

  On the other hand, since the keyboard device proposed in Patent Document 2 has a structure in which the key directly presses the hammer and feels the load by the lever principle, the load of the hammer is not released from the key in the middle of pressing the key, so let off There is a drawback that no feeling can be obtained.

  In order to eliminate these disadvantages, the present applicant is provided with an acoustic piano such as a hammer arm, a hammer jack, a hammer roller, and a repetition arm at the lower part of each white key and black key according to “Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-282893”. A keyboard device with a built-in hammer drive mechanism was proposed. According to the previously proposed keyboard device, a pseudo hammer drive mechanism having the same function as the hammer drive mechanism of an acoustic piano is stored in the space below the white key and the black key. We were able to provide a keyboard device that feels as close as possible to an acoustic piano.

  However, in the previously proposed keyboard device, the time for the hammer to pass the position of the optical switch is measured to detect the keystroke speed and the keystroke position, and the hammer swing-up speed and hammer swing-up position are detected based on the measured values. Proposes the point of structure. With this detection structure, it was found that the expression of sound was standardized, and that the expression of sound felt deficient.

In order to eliminate this inconvenience, a signal corresponding to the key position is obtained by the analog sensor proposed in Patent Document 3, and the key pressing speed is calculated by using the detection signal of the analog sensor. A method of detecting the string hitting position based on the detection signal of the analog sensor is employed.
When this string striking position detection method is adopted, even if the key is depressed slowly, a signal is generated from a sound source (electrical sound source) when the key pressing position reaches a virtual string striking position. This is different from the feel of an acoustic piano.

  An object of the present invention is to propose a keyboard device in which the feeling given to a finger is as close as possible to that of an acoustic piano, and the expression of sound can be brought close to that of an acoustic piano.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, one end is rotatably supported, and the other end is given an elastic biasing force upward by a spring, and this elastic biasing force is given to the stopper so that a predetermined stroke is reached from a predetermined upper limit position. The key for an electronic keyboard instrument that can be rotated downward with the key, and the rotation fulcrum is supported on the lower surface of the key so that the rotation surface is substantially the same plane as the rotation surface of the key. A jack composed of an operation lever part projecting downward from the rotation lever, a sub-lever part projecting in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the operation lever part from the rotation fulcrum, and slightly from the lower end position of the operation lever part of the jack A hammer arm rotatably supported on the frame in a posture that is substantially the same rotation surface as the rotation surface of the key at a position displaced toward the rotation fulcrum side of the key, and the key of the hammer arm Hammer mounted on the end of the pivot point And a hammer roller mounted on the hammer arm in a posture in which the lower end surface of the jack operation lever portion is in contact with the circumferential surface at a position displaced from the rotation fulcrum position of the hammer arm to the rotation free end side of the key. An extension part that protrudes from the hammer arm to the rotating free end side of the key and extends from the roller mounting position, a protruding part that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the rotating free end side of the key, and a rotating part on the protruding part. A repetition lever that is mounted movably to give the hammer roller a downward elastic biasing force, a repetition spring to give the biasing force to return the jack to the initial position while the key returns to the upper limit position, and the hammer arm of the protrusion The back check cloth is made of a vibration-absorbing material that is attached to the surface facing the extension of the key, and an analog signal corresponding to the amount of key rotation is transmitted to detect the key rotation position. A key position sensor, the hammer arm is proposed in which a keyboard apparatus comprising a string striking detection sensor for detecting that rose shaken string striking virtual position.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is proposed a keyboard device that uses the detection signal of the key position detection sensor as a key pressing speed detection signal.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is proposed a keyboard apparatus according to any one of the first or second aspect, wherein the key position sensor detection signal is used as a pressing operation force detection signal after the key is struck.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard device that uses a detection signal of a key position sensor as a sound attenuation control signal in any one of the keyboard devices according to the first to third aspects.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is proposed a keyboard device that uses a detection signal of a key position sensor as an identification signal of a key depression method in any one of the keyboard devices according to the first to fourth aspects.
A sixth aspect of the present invention proposes a keyboard apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the key position sensor is composed of a magnet mounted on the key and a magnetic detection element mounted on the frame side. .
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the keyboard apparatuses according to the first to fifth aspects, the key position sensor is mounted on the key side with a light emitting element mounted on the frame side, a light receiving element arranged in parallel with the light emitting element. A keyboard device is proposed that includes a reflector that reflects light emitted from a light emitting element to a light receiving element.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the keyboard apparatuses according to the first to seventh aspects, the string hitting detection sensor includes a push button switch mounted on the frame side and an operation element mounted on the hammer arm. A keyboard device is proposed in which the mounting position is set to a string-striking position virtually defined within the rotation range of the hammer arm.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the keyboard device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, a plurality of weight storage chambers are provided on the lower surface of the white key on the free rotation end side, and any of the plurality of weight storage chambers is provided. We propose a keyboard device that can store an arbitrary number of weights in a room.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the keyboard devices according to the first to ninth aspects, a weight storage chamber is provided on the rotating free end side of the black key, and a weight having a desired weight is stored in the weight storage chamber. A keyboard device with a configuration is proposed.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the keyboard device according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, a plurality of weight mounting areas having different areas are provided in a hammer provided corresponding to each key, and the weight mounting area has a desired size. We propose a keyboard device that is designed to be equipped with a heavy weight.

  According to the keyboard device of the present invention, a hammer and a hammer arm, a hammer roller, a jack, a repetition lever, and the like are arranged below each key for both the white key and the black key, and the structure equivalent to the hammer drive mechanism of an acoustic piano. Since the hammer driving mechanism is provided, the touch given to the finger regardless of whether the white key or the black key is used can be brought close to that of an acoustic piano.

  Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a key position detection sensor for transmitting a signal corresponding to a change in the key position, and a string striking detection sensor for detecting that the hammer has swung up to a virtually set string striking position. Therefore, the string is not detected unless the hammer swings up to a virtually set stringing position. Therefore, when the key is slowly pressed, the hammer is not lifted up, so that the generation of sound can be prevented. In this respect, it is possible to approach the key touch feeling of an acoustic piano.

  Further, in the present invention, the detection signal of the key position detection sensor is used as a key pressing speed detection signal, is also used as a pressing operation force detection signal after stringing, and is further used as a sound attenuation control signal. Further, since it is also used as a discrimination signal for the key-pressing method, the expression of sound is diversified by using these, and it can be approximated to the expression of the sound of an acoustic piano.

  Further, according to the present invention, the white key has a structure in which a plurality of chambers are provided on the rotating free end side, and weights are stored in arbitrary chambers of the plurality of chambers. Since the storage chamber is provided and a plurality of weight mounting areas with different areas are also provided in the hammer provided corresponding to each key, and a weight having a desired weight is mounted in this weight mounting area, it is appropriate for each key. A heavy weight can be attached. As a result, for example, it is possible to perform settings such as attaching a heavy weight to the bass key to increase the response, and reducing the weight by reducing the weight on the high sound side.

  In the present invention, a magnet is attached to each key, and a magnetic sensor such as a Hall element is attached to the frame side facing the attachment surface of the magnet. When the key is pressed, the magnet approaches the magnetic sensor, and the distance between the magnet and the magnetic sensor decreases as the key pressing amount increases. The magnetic sensor outputs an analog signal that changes in proportion to the amount of key press. The key pressing speed can be calculated from the change amount of the analog signal. If the volume is controlled by the calculated value of the pressing speed, a volume proportional to the key pressing speed can be obtained.

  In the present invention, a push button switch is further provided at one point within the rotation range of the hammer arm. The push button switch mounting position is the highest position where the hammer arm swings up. At this highest position (this position is assumed to be a virtual stringing position), the operator mounted on the hammer arm presses the push button switch, Send a signal. With this contact signal, a signal is generated from a sound source (a sound source constituted by an electronic circuit), and sound generation is started at the timing of string striking.

  While the key is held down, the sound continues to be attenuated according to a pre-set envelope. When the key is raised, the key position is read by the magnetic sensor, the sound decay is accelerated when the key returns to the preset position, and the sound decay time gradually changes while the key passes through the range of the preset position. Can be made. As a result, the decay time during which the sound reaches the stop sound can be changed according to the return speed of the key, and the expression of the sound intended by the player can be expressed. That is, it is possible to add an expression equivalent to controlling the condition of the damper on the acoustic piano.

  Further, in the present invention, by increasing the pressing force on the key in the pressed state of the key, the position of the magnet can be made closer to the magnetic sensor by the striking position. The change of the position of the magnet changes the signal of the magnetic sensor, and the change of the signal can be used to perform the after-touch control generally called.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, since the key position detection sensor is constituted by the magnet and the magnetic sensor, the key pressing operation characteristics can be detected. That is, by detecting a key touch feeling unique to the player, it is possible to realize generation of a sound suitable for key touch. As a specific example, the key touch when playing a certain keystroke sound in a song of a famous famous composer (Beethoven) is performed with a key touch different from the key touch of the song of another composer. It is said that it should be done. In the present invention, since the key position detection sensor for continuously detecting the key position is provided, the movement of the key can be monitored one by one. As a result, it is possible to detect a key touch that is intentionally operated, and as a result of the detection, it is possible to realize generation of sound suitable for the key touch.

  An embodiment of a keyboard apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 shows a state where the white key 10A is not pressed, FIG. 2 shows a state where the white key 10A is pressed, FIG. 3 shows a state where the black key 10B is not pressed, and FIG. 4 shows a state where the black key 10B is pressed. The difference between the white key 10A and the black key 10B is that the white key 10A has a structure in which the repetition lever 20 is supported by a protruding portion 11A protruding downward from the back surface of the white key 10A, whereas the black key 10B is black. The repetition lever 20 is supported by an extension portion 11B (see FIGS. 3 and 4) extending in front of the key B. The other structure is the same for the white key 10A and the black key 10B. Therefore, the description will be made mainly with respect to the white key 10A shown in FIGS.

One end of the white key 10A is rotatably attached to the frame 100, and an upward elastic biasing force is given to the free end side (white key portion) by the biasing force of the key fixing spring 12.
The upward elastic biasing force is received by the stopper 13. Accordingly, the white key 10A stops at a position determined by the stopper 13, and this stationary position is defined as the upper limit position. Each key is restricted from shaking left and right by the guide 11C. When the white key 10A is pressed, the lower end of the protrusion 11A comes into contact with the key stopper 14 as shown in FIG. 2, the lower limit position is determined, and the stroke of the white key 10A is determined by the upper limit position and the lower limit position.

The structure which characterizes the present invention is that the repetition lever 20, the jack 30, the hammer arm 40, the hammer roller 50 attached to the hammer arm 40, and the back check cloth 55 are accommodated in the lower spaces of the white key 10A and the black key 10B. It is the point which was made into the structure.
The repetition lever 20, the jack 30, the hammer arm 40, and the hammer roller 50 are provided in order to make the key touch of the white key 10A and the black key 10B resemble the feel of an acoustic piano as much as possible.

Incidentally, in the acoustic piano, these repetition lever 20, jack 30, hammer arm 40, hammer roller 50, back check cloth 55, etc. are provided on the extension lines of the white key and the black key, and the keyboard and hammer stringing mechanisms are separately provided. Therefore, the space occupied by the hammer striking mechanism is widely required.
In the present invention, since the string is not struck by the hammer 42, the hammer drive mechanism is housed in the lower part of each key, and the key touch feeling of the acoustic piano is obtained in a small space.

The reason why a key touch feeling of an acoustic piano can be obtained by the structure according to the present invention will be described below.
A jack 30 is movably mounted on the lower surface of each key 10A, 10B by a support shaft 31. The rotation surface of the jack 30 is a surface parallel to the rotation surface of each key 10A, 10B, and protrudes in a direction intersecting with the operation lever portion 30A, and the operation lever portion 30A extending downward from the support shaft 31. And the auxiliary lever portion 30B. The lower end of the operation lever portion 30A comes into contact with the arc surface of the hammer roller 50 to be in an initial state (a state where the key is not pressed).

  The hammer roller 50 is attached to the hammer arm 40. The hammer arm 40 is pivotally supported by a shaft 41 so that the surface parallel to the rotation surface of the keys 10A and 10B becomes a rotation surface in the same manner as the jack 30. A hammer (substantially a weight) 42 is attached to the end opposite to the position of the hammer roller 50 across the position of the shaft 41, and when the keys 10A and 10B are pressed by the weight of the hammer 42, the key is pressed. Give a response. Reference numeral 44 denotes a leaf spring. The hammer arm 40 is pressed against the shaft 41 by the leaf spring 44 to prevent the hammer arm 40 from falling off the shaft 41.

  The pressing force at the time of keystroke is given to the hammer roller 50 through the operation lever portion 30A of the jack 30 and is transmitted to the hammer arm 40 via the hammer roller 50. When the keys 10A and 10B are strongly pressed, the operation lever portion 30A constituting the jack 30 instantaneously applies a pressing force to the hammer roller, so that the hammer 42 is flipped up almost instantaneously, and the key strike given by the weight of the hammer 42 is given. A feeling is obtained.

  When the hammer 42 that has been flipped up starts to drop, the extended portion 43 that extends from the end of the hammer arm 40 toward the performer abuts against the back check cloth 55, and the hammer 42 remains while the keys 10A and 10B remain pressed. Is held in that position, and the swing-up position of the hammer 42 is maintained.

  Next, when the key 10 </ b> A or 10 </ b> B is pressed down weakly, the lower end of the operation lever portion 30 </ b> A constituting the jack 30 applies a pressing force to the hammer arm 40 via the hammer roller 50. When the depressed amount of the key 10A or 10B reaches a certain position, the auxiliary lever 30B constituting the jack 30 comes into contact with the jack stopper 32 (see FIGS. 2 and 4), and the operation lever portion 30A is counterclockwise in the illustrated example. The tip is rotated in the turning direction, and the tip of the tip moves away from the engaged state with the hammer roller 50.

The repetition lever 20 applies a weak downward force to the hammer roller 50 by the spring 21, but when the repetition lever 20 starts to contact the repetition stopper 22,
Since the biasing force against the hammer roller 50 from the repetition lever 20 is eliminated, the entire weight of the hammer 42 is transmitted to the operation lever portion 30A, and a strong reaction force is applied to the keys 10A and 10B (at this timing, the hammer 42 strikes the string. Approximate to the point of time when the string was formed). When the operating lever portion 30A is released from the engagement with the hammer roller 50 from this state, the hammer 42 slightly falls, and at this time, the hammer roller 50 abuts against the repetition lever 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). It is received by the biasing force of the repetition lever 20. As a result, the reaction force applied to the keys 10A and 10B is drastically reduced, and a let-off feeling similar to that of an acoustic piano is obtained.
As described above, according to the present invention, it is characterized in that different keystroke feelings can be obtained when the key is pressed strongly and when the key is pressed weakly, which is almost as close as the keystroke feeling of an acoustic piano. .

  In the present invention, a repetition spring 23 is further provided for the jack 30. The repetition spring 23 is also provided on the acoustic piano. When the keys 10A and 10B return to the non-depressed position due to the presence of the repetition spring 23, the jack 30 is moved to the initial position (operation) by the biasing force of the repetition spring 23. It is possible to quickly return to the state in which the lower end of the lever portion 30A is in contact with the upper portion of the hammer roller 50 and return to a state where the next key can be pressed. As a result, high-speed continuous hitting becomes possible. This point can also be approximated to the key touch of an acoustic piano.

In the present invention, the white key 10A is further provided with a plurality of weight storage chambers 81A to 81E on the side of the rotation free end, and the weight W is stored in any of the plurality of weight storage chambers 81A to 81E. By doing so, we propose that it is possible to freely set the keystroke feeling.
Further, the hammer 42 is provided with weight mounting areas A1, A2, and A3 having different areas, and the weight mounting areas A1, A2, and A3 are mounted (for example, pasted) with weights having different weights prepared for the respective areas. The response given from 42 can be freely set.
Further, the black key 10B is provided with a weight storage chamber 81E on the rotating free end side, and the hammer 42 can be attached to any of the weight mounting areas A1, A2, and A3 to freely respond to the response given from the hammer 42. It is configured so that it can be set to.

  In this way, by configuring so that the response can be freely set using a weight for each key, for example, the key on the low-pitched sound side makes the keystroke feeling heavy, and the keystroke feeling becomes gradually lighter toward the high-pitched sound side. You can set it.

In addition to the structure described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the present invention further includes a key position detection sensor 60 that detects a position according to the amount of pressing of the white key 10 </ b> A and the black key 10 </ b> B, and a striking position that detects a string striking position. A configuration in which the string detection sensor 70 is provided is proposed.
The key position detection sensor 60 may be any sensor that can continuously track the movements of the healthy 10A and 10B. As an example, a magnetism and a magnetic detecting element such as a Hall element or a light emitting element and a light receiving element are arranged side by side, and the light emitted from the light emitting element is reflected by a reflector provided on the side of the healthy 10A and 10B, and the distance It is also possible to use an optical sensor having a structure in which a change signal of the amount of received light is taken out from the light receiving element due to the change of.

  The example shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 shows a case where the key position detection sensor 60 is configured with a magnet 61 attached to the keys 10A and 10B and a magnetic detection element 62 attached to the frame 100 side. According to this structure, in either the white key 10A or the black key 10B, when the key is pressed, the magnet 61 moves toward the magnetic detection element 62. When the magnetic detection element 62 is, for example, a Hall element, the Hall element outputs a voltage signal indicated by a curve A in FIG.

This voltage signal is read at a constant time interval T (computer sampling time), and the key pressing speed can be obtained from the time interval T and the key movement amount Δd. For this purpose, it is necessary to determine the correspondence between the voltage change and the key pressing position, but it is possible to uniquely determine all the keys by using magnetic detection elements whose characteristics fall within a certain range of variation. it can. The speed V of the key is V = Δd / T, where T is the reading time interval, and Δd is the distance (converted from curve A) that the key has moved at this time interval T.
Is required.

  By using this speed detection method, the key pressing speed V can be calculated with higher resolution when the key is hit hard. That is, the output signal of the magnetic detection element 62 continuously changes with respect to the key pressing position. Since this continuously changing signal is read at a constant time interval T, Δd becomes large when a hard key is pressed and an error occurs. Can be reduced. Accordingly, even a slight change in the pressing speed at the time of a strong keystroke, which has been insufficient in resolution until now, can be faithfully taken as a calculated value, and the volume can be controlled in accordance with the keystroke speed V. Thus, it is possible to express the strength of the sound intended by the performer.

  In this regard, for example, when a method of obtaining the keystroke speed by measuring the time for which the hammer 42 passes the position of the photosensor using a photosensor is used, it is detected that the hammer 42 passes the position of the photosensor. The output signal of the photo sensor changes from, for example, H logic to L logic, and further returns from the L logic to the H logic at a predetermined time interval to read the L logic state (the hammer 42 passes through the photo sensor). The time interval T (sampling interval) for reading needs to be extremely short in order to measure the L logic time with high resolution. In order to shorten the sampling time interval, a high-performance microcomputer having a high clock frequency must be used.

  In this invention, since the key pressing speed is detected from the continuously changing key position detection signal, the pressing speed V can be obtained with higher resolution as the pressing speed V is faster without specially shortening the sampling time interval T. Benefits are gained.

In the present invention, a string hitting detection sensor 70 for detecting that the hammer 42 has reached a virtual string hitting position is further provided. The string-striking detection sensor 70 can be constituted by, for example, a push button switch 70A and an operator 70B that pushes the hit button switch 70A. As the push button switch 70A, for example, a push button switch having a contact switch built in a rubber cover can be used. The push button switch 70A is mounted on the printed circuit board 71, and the printed circuit board 71 is mounted and fixed to the frame 100. . The fixed position of the push button switch 70A is the highest position in the rotation range of the hammer arm 40, and the rotation angle position at which the operating element 70B protruding from the hammer arm 40 pushes the push button switch 70A is the virtual hit position of the hammer 42. Determine the chord position. The hammer arm 40 is received by the hammer cushion 45 in a state where the hammer arm 40 has reached the virtual string-striking position.
By starting the generation of an electrical signal from the sound source in accordance with the detection signal of the string detection sensor 70, the generation of sound can be started in synchronism with the string and the keystroke feeling of the acoustic piano can be achieved.

  Here, a method of determining the string striking position using the detection signal of the key position detection sensor 60 is also conceivable. However, in this detection method, in order to detect the set striking position, sampling is performed at regular time intervals. Therefore, the position of the hammer 42 when the strut position is detected by sampling and the actual position of the hammer 42 are detected. However, there is a disadvantage that the timing of sound generation is slightly shifted due to a sampling error, but this problem is eliminated in the present invention.

  The present invention proposes that the detection signal of the key position detection sensor 60 is used as a pressing operation force detection signal after stringing. The pressing force after hitting a string is generally called aftertouch, and tremolo is applied to the sound that is being generated when an instrument sound other than a piano is generated. Or it is used to add effects such as applying vibrato. Therefore, a material having a relatively large amount of elastic deformation is used as the key stopper 14 so that the keys 10A and 10B can move within a slight stroke range with respect to the pressing force of the keys 10A and 10B. By moving the magnet 61 within this slight stroke range, an electric signal corresponding to the amount of movement can be obtained from the magnetic detection element 62.

  Here, in a state in which the keys 10A and 10B are in contact with the key stopper 14, the magnet 61 approaches the magnetic detection sensor 62 through a very small gap. This state corresponds to a region B shown in FIG. 6. In this region B, when the magnetic detection sensor 62 is, for example, a Hall element, an electric signal having a large variation with respect to a slight change in position due to a non-linear magnetic detection characteristic. Can be obtained. As a result, a voltage signal with good resolution can be obtained even with a slight change in pressing force, and an aftertouch control signal with high expressive power can be obtained.

  The present invention further claims that the detection signal of the key position detection sensor 60 is used as a sound attenuation control signal. That is, in the acoustic piano, when the key returns to the original position, when the key position returns to a certain position, the damper is activated, and the damper contacts the string and attenuates the sound being sounded abruptly. The time from when the sound is sounded until the sound starts to be attenuated by the damper, and the time from when the sound is attenuated until the sound is completely stopped, is controlled by the player's key touch. Hereinafter, this control is referred to as a damper control.

  In the present invention, the damper control is realized by using the detection signal of the key position detection sensor 60. The realization will be described with reference to FIG. A curve C shown in the figure indicates a position detection signal generated by the key position detection sensor 60 when the keys 10A and 10B return from the stringing position to the original position. When the keys 10A and 10B return to the position A, the position where the damper starts to contact the string is determined. When the keys 10A and 10B return to the position B, the sound is completely stopped.

  Therefore, in the section D1, the sound is not influenced by the damper, and indicates a state in which the sound is attenuated according to the envelope defined by the electric circuit of the sound source. In the case of a piano, although it depends on the string striking strength, it generally takes about 5 to 10 seconds and the sound stops. A section D2 indicates a section where the sound is attenuated by the damper, and a section D3 indicates a section where the sound is stopped.

  In the present invention, in the section D2, the control is performed to gradually change the decay time constant in several stages according to the positions of the keys 10A and 10B. In this embodiment, the section D1 is attenuated with a constant time constant T0, and the inside of the section D2 is divided into three sections D2-1, D2-2, and D2-3 as shown in FIG. , D2-2, and D2-3, the case where the decay time constant is changed in the order of T1> T2> T3 is shown. Here, as an example of the decay time constants T1, T2, and T3, T1 is a time constant for sound to stop after 2 seconds, T2 is a time constant for sound to stop after 1 second, and T3 is 0.1 seconds. It is possible to use a time constant that will cause the sound to stop later.

FIG. 8 shows an outline of a program for changing the decay time constant.
In step SP1, it is determined whether or not the key has reached position A. If the key position does not reach position A, steps SP1 and SP2 are repeatedly executed, and the operation of attenuating with a constant attenuation time constant T0 is maintained. The decay time constant T0 is a long time constant that is not affected by the damper.

If the key position has reached A in step SP1, the process proceeds to step SP3. If the key position has not reached A2, it can be detected that the key has entered the section D2-1, and the process proceeds to step SP4.
After switching the decay time constant to T1 in step SP4, the process returns to step SP1.
When the key position reaches A2, the process proceeds to step SP5. When the key position does not reach A3, it can be confirmed that the key exists in the section D2-2. The process proceeds to step SP6, and the decay time constant is set to T2 in step SP6. Switch.

  In this way, by switching the decay time constant in the order of T1> T2> T3 as the key position moves from section D2-1 to D2-2, D2-3, each section D1 is performed by the player's key touch. , D2-1, D2-2, and D2-3 can be controlled to slightly change the time it takes for the sound to stop, and control equivalent to the acoustic piano damper control is realized. be able to. In the above description, the inside of the section D2 is sorted into three sections. However, any number of sections may be used. The attenuation time constant set for each section can also be set to an arbitrary time constant.

  The present invention further proposes that the detection signal of the key position detection sensor 60 is used as an identification signal for the key depression method. The inventors of the present invention focused on the fact that by observing a signal obtained from the key position detection sensor 60, the key pressing method can be identified by the key position detection signal. FIG. 9 shows an example of the key position detection signal due to the difference in the key pressing method. A curve A shown in FIG. 9 represents a change in the key position detection signal that is normally pressed. Curve B shows the change in the key position detection signal when the key is played by the key-pressing method, which is said to be suitable for playing a famous composer (Beethoven). To play with the characteristics of the curve B, it is generally said that “play with your finger on your weight”.

When the curves A and B are discriminated, and the curve B is detected, the sound of the sound source or the filter is switched so as to generate a tone suitable for the composer's work. Can be approached. One method for distinguishing the curves A and B will be described. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the initial section X of the key press shown in FIG. When the amount of movement of the key per unit time is measured, the key movement in the case of normal keystroke changes as dv1, dv2, dv3, dv4, dv5. Here, the curve A has many sections where the displacement amount per unit time is smaller than the previous section, such as dv1> dv2, dv2> dv3, dv3> dv4, dv4 <dv5.
On the other hand, in the curve B, the displacement per unit time becomes a substantially constant amount, and in particular, the rate of being smaller than the previous section is small. If this difference is used as a clue, curves A and B can be identified.

FIG. 11 shows an outline of a program for recognizing the key pressing method.
In step SP1, the start of keystroke is detected.
In step SP2, the amount of key displacement is read each time a unit time elapses.
In step SP3, the number of executions M of step SP2 is counted.
In step SP4, the displacement amount of the previous section is compared with the displacement amount of the current section, and it is detected that the displacement amount of the current section is smaller than the displacement amount of the previous section.
In step SP5, the number of times C determined that the displacement amount of the current section is smaller than the displacement amount of the previous section is counted.
When it is detected in step SP6 that the count value C has become larger than the set value, the curve A is determined and a normal tone color is generated.
If the count value C has not reached the set value in step SP6, the process returns to step SP2, and steps SP2 to SP5 are repeated.
If it is determined in step SP4 that the displacement amount in the current section is greater than or equal to the displacement amount in the previous section, the process proceeds to step SP8.
In step SP8, the number M of times the displacement is read is compared with the set value. If the number M has reached the set value, the curve B is determined in step SP9, and the state of the sound source is switched in step SP10. Produce sounds that are suitable for the playing style. If the number of times M has not reached the set value in step SP8, the process returns to step SP2, and the loop of steps SP2 to SP4 and step SP8 is executed, or the loop of steps SP2 to SP4 is executed, and the count values C and M Whether the curve is A or B is determined by the transition of the value of.

  FIG. 12 shows an internal state of the computer when the above-described embodiments are realized by a computer. Here, the functions of the electronic musical instrument (sound source relationship, tone color control relationship, volume control relationship, sound rise and fall control relationship, etc.) are collectively shown in the electronic musical instrument circuit 300, and this is shown inside the computer 200. Only the novel part proposed in the invention is shown.

 2 indicates, for example, a microcomputer. As is well known, the microcomputer includes a central processing unit CPU 201, a rewritable memory RAM 202, a read-only memory 203, an input port 204, an output port 205, and the like. A key position detection sensor group 600 and a string striking position detection sensor group 700 attached to the keys 10A and 10B of the keyboard device described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 are connected to the input port 204.

  The rewritable memory RAM 202 is used for storing captured data. A program for executing each operation is written in the read-only memory ROM 203, and this program is read and the central processing unit CPU 201 is controlled according to the program to execute various operations.

  Here, a program for configuring the key position reading unit 203A, a program for configuring the string hitting detection unit 203B, a program for configuring the pressing speed calculation unit 203C, a program for configuring the aftertouch control unit 203D, a sound decay time control unit A program constituting 203E and a program constituting pressing performance method detecting means 203F are written, and each program is executed in a timely manner, detection output of the timing of striking output, calculation output of key pressing speed, output of control signal of aftertouch Then, the sound attenuation time control signal is output and the detection result of the playing style is output from the output port 205 and sent to the electronic musical instrument circuit 300, whereby the electronic musical instrument circuit 300 is controlled in accordance with the control signal, and the volume control and sound Generation timing control, sound attenuation time control, etc. are executed. That.

  According to the present invention, the electronic keyboard instrument can be made as close as possible to the operability of an acoustic piano, so that even a small keyboard can provide a performance feeling equivalent to that of a large piano. As a result, it is possible to enjoy a performance feeling equivalent to that of a large piano even in a small room, and many users can enjoy the original feel of the piano.

The figure for demonstrating Example 1 thru | or Example 4 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating Example 1 thru | or Example 4 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating Example 1 thru | or Example 4 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating Example 1 thru | or Example 4 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of Example 3 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating Example 5 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating Example 6 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating Example 6 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating Example 7 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating Example 7 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating Example 7 of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the mode of the inside of a computer in the case of implement | achieving each Example of this invention with a computer.

Explanation of symbols

10A White key 81A to 81E Weight storage chamber 10B Black key A1 to A3 Weight mounting area 20 Repetition lever 203A Key position reading means 30 Jack 203B String strike detection means 40 Hammer arm 203C Pressing speed calculation means 42 Hammer 203D After touch control means 50 Hammer Roller 203E Sound decay time control means 60 Key position detection sensor 203F Pressing performance detection means 70 String striking detection sensor

Claims (11)

A, one end is rotatably supported, and the other end is elastically biased upward by a spring, and this elastic biasing force is applied to the stopper and pivots downward by a predetermined stroke from a predetermined upper limit position. Keys for electronic keyboard instruments that can
B, an operation lever portion that is rotatably supported on the lower surface of the key in a posture that is substantially the same surface as the rotation surface of the key and is a rotation surface, and protrudes downward from the rotation fulcrum, and the rotation A jack constituted by a sub-lever part protruding in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the operation lever part from the fulcrum;
C. The frame is positioned in a position that is slightly displaced from the lower end position of the operation lever portion of the jack toward the pivot fulcrum side of the key, and that has a pivot surface substantially the same as the pivot surface of the key at the lower portion of the key. A hammer arm that is pivotally supported;
D, a hammer attached to the end of the hammer arm on the side of the rotation fulcrum,
F, a hammer roller mounted on the hammer arm in a posture in which the lower end surface of the operation lever portion of the jack is in contact with the circumferential surface at a position displaced from the rotation fulcrum position of the hammer arm toward the rotation free end side of the key. When,
G, an extended portion that protrudes from the hammer arm toward the rotation free end side of the key from the mounting position of the hammer roller and extends,
H, a projecting portion projecting downward from the lower surface of the rotary free end side of the key;
I, a repetition lever that is rotatably mounted on the protruding portion and applies a downward elastic biasing force to the hammer roller;
J, a repetition spring for applying a biasing force for returning the jack to the initial position during the operation of returning the key to the upper limit position;
K, a back check cloth made of a vibration-absorbing material that is attached to a surface of the protruding portion that faces the extension of the hammer arm;
L, a key position sensor that transmits an analog signal corresponding to the rotation amount of the key and detects the rotation position of the key;
M, a string striking detection sensor for detecting that the hammer arm is swung up to a virtual striking position;
A keyboard device comprising:   2. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a detection signal of the key position detection sensor is used as a key pressing speed detection signal.   3. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a detection signal of the key position sensor is used as a pressing operation force detection signal after the key is struck.   4. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a detection signal of the key position sensor is used as a sound attenuation control signal.   5. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a detection signal of the key position sensor is used as an identification signal for a key playing technique.   6. The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the key position sensor includes a magnet mounted on a key and a magnetic detection element mounted on a frame side.   6. The keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein the key position sensor includes a light emitting element attached to the frame side, a light receiving element arranged in parallel to the light emitting element, and light emitted from the light emitting element attached to the key side. And a reflecting plate that reflects the light to the light receiving element.   The keyboard device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the string hitting detection sensor includes a push button switch mounted on a frame side and an operation element mounted on the hammer arm, and the mounting position of the push button switch is set to the position described above. A keyboard device characterized by a string-striking position virtually defined within a rotation range of a hammer arm.   9. The keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of weight storage chambers are provided on a lower surface of the white key on the side of the rotation free end, and an arbitrary number of weights are placed in any of the plurality of weight storage chambers. A keyboard device characterized by being configured to be stored.   The keyboard device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a weight storage chamber is provided on a rotating free end side of the black key, and a weight having a desired weight is stored in the weight storage chamber. Keyboard device. 11. The keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of weight mounting areas having different areas are provided on a hammer provided corresponding to each key, and a weight having a desired weight is mounted on the weight mounting area. A keyboard device characterized by that.

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